Spurs reach agreements with Bertans, Forbes

San Antonio Spurs guard Bryn Forbes (11) celebrates with teammate guard Patty Mills (8) after a basket during second half action against the Sacramento Kings Monday April 9, 2018 at the AT&T Center. The Spurs won 98-85.

The pact with Bertans calls for the forward to receive $14.5 million over two years, according to Bertans’ agent, Arturs Kalnitis, per Yahoo Sports. Kalnitis confirmed the signing via Twitter.

Bertans, who will turn 26 on Nov. 12, earned $1.3 million last season while averaging 5.3 points on 37.3 percent shooting from 3-point range. The 6-foot-10 Latvian played in 77 games in his second NBA season, including 10 starts.

Logging 80 regular-season games last season after playing in just 36 as a rookie proved a challenge for Forbes.

“It’s been a big adjustment for me,” the 6-3 guard said in April.

Despite his struggles adapting to the physical and mental grind of the NBA’s punishing 82-game season, Forbes showed the Spurs enough for them to give him a two-year deal, a league source said.

Forbes, who will turn 25 on July 23, started last season strong before tailing off. He averaged 6.9 points and 1.0 assists while shooting a team-best 39.0 percent from 3-point range (89 of 228).

“I’ve had my parts of the season where it kind of wears on you mentally and physically, because this is by far the most games I’ve played,” Forbes said in April.

The Michigan State product averaged 2.6 points in 36 games as a rookie after joining the Spurs as an undrafted free agent.

Forbes flashed his potential several times last season, including hitting a late 3-pointer in Phoenix to give the Spurs a 104-101 win over the Suns and scoring a season-high 23 points on 5-of-8 shooting from 3-point range in a 15-point win over Sacramento in January.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich likes the confidence Forbes has in his shot, comparing him last season to Golden State’s Stephen Curry.

“He’s never seen a shot he didn’t like,” Popovich said. “That’s a good quality when you can shoot the ball well.”

The agreements give the Spurs essentially 13 players with guaranteed contracts. Add in guard Brandon Paul, who has a non-guaranteed deal until Aug. 1, and the number rises to 14.

Guard Darrun Hilliard, who was on a two-way deal last season, is their lone remaining restricted free agent, although the Spurs can rescind his qualifying offer should they want to open a spot for a non-guaranteed player to attempt to make the roster.

NBA teams can carry up to 20 players in the offseason but are limited to 15 in the regular season, plus a pair of two-way players who would spend most of their time in the G League.

After three years as a part-time employee covering mainly high school sports, Tom Orsborn became a full-time employee at the Express-News in October 1985. He's covered the Dallas Cowboys and the NFL since 1999 and has also covered the Spurs, the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, and a variety of other events, including 14 Super Bowls.